


The Snow Globe Job

by DarkwingDukat (pushingcrazies)



Category: Leverage
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28409223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushingcrazies/pseuds/DarkwingDukat
Summary: There is little chance of a white Christmas in Portland. Unless, of course, you have two amazing boyfriends who will do anything to make you happy.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37
Collections: 2020 Leverage Secret Santa Exchange





	The Snow Globe Job

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Annide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/gifts).



> For Annide who asked for: "Winter/snow related stuff, and/or something in the brewpub/McRory's. Fluffy hurt/comfort."

“When you say ‘little chance’ is that like ‘unlikely’ or ‘impossible?’” Parker demanded.

Hardison glanced up from his laptop, where he was poring over weather projections and articles about the odds of a white Christmas in Portland. “Unlikely,” he admitted. “Like a one to three percent chance. But the odds are definitely not in your favor, babe.”

Parker visibly slumped on her barstool. “What’s a Christmas without snow?” she asked.

“Parker, most places that aren’t Canada or Russia or up in the mountains don’t usually get snow on Christmas,” Eliot said. He was getting an early start on prepping Christmas dinner for tomorrow. “It ain’t that big of a deal not to have snow.”

“You must’ve lived in places without a white Christmas before we moved to Boston,” Hardison added. It broke his heart a little to see her so dejected.

“I know, but it’s just not the same.” Parker unwrapped the long end of a candy cane and stuck it in her mouth.

“Hey,” Eliot barked, pointing at her. “No stabby canes.”

Parker pulled the candy cane out of her mouth. “I wasn’t going to -”

“No. Stabby. Canes.”

Parker glared at him. First no white Christmas and now Eliot wouldn’t let her suck the cane down to a sharp tip. What other fun traditions were going to be ruined tonight?

“We could always go up to Mount Hood,” Hardison said, too engrossed in his research to pay attention to impending sugar weapons. “Tons of snow up there.”

“It’s not the same,” Parker said. She stuck the candy cane back in her mouth, gave it a couple of pointed sucks, and then snapped off the tip. Eliot rolled his eyes at her but didn’t flinch the way Hardison would have. He went back to chopping vegetables. “It’s better to be nice and cozy in your own home, cuddled up under blankets and watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate.”

Eliot pushed his hair out of his eyes. “We could rent a cabin next year.”

“And we can still do movies and cocoa this year without the snow,” Hardison reasoned. “And popcorn. And cheese balls.”

Parker sighed. She knew logically that spending the day with her boys would be awesome even without snow falling outside the windows, but in her heart it just didn’t feel like Christmas. Portland was as drizzly and grey as always, and all the predictions indicated it would be the same tomorrow. Stupid temperate Willamette Valley, stupid mountains catching and hoarding all the snow and not leaving any for the valley floor.

She crunched the last of the candy cane and sighed again. “Oh well,” she said, cutting off the boys’ argument about whether or not Hardison’s nasty cheese balls would be allowed anywhere near Eliot’s gourmet homemade popcorn during the movies-and-snuggles portion of tomorrow night. “At least there’s still presents.”

The boys exchanged a look. “Yup,” Eliot said. “Presents.”

Hardison bit his lip like he was trying to hide a smile, and looked away. Parker narrowed her eyes at them. What…?

But pestering them for an explanation would do no good. Even if Hardison was more likely to crack, Eliot would just clam up worse. She’d just have to will tomorrow to come faster, the quicker to get her hands on whatever surprise they’d cooked up.

\---

It was nearly quarter after five in the morning when Parker gave in to the urge to wake her boys up. Eliot might bitch about the early hour, but she knew he often got up this early anyway; Hardison, on the other hand, hated being up before the sun, but he had many years of experience with younger foster siblings who couldn’t control their excitement come Christmas morning. So while they might yawn and grouse, Parker felt absolutely no guilt about grabbing Hardison’s shoulder and giving it a hard shake, startling him awake - and Eliot, too, by extension.

“Damnit, Parker,” Eliot growled.

“Woman,” Hardison groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “What time’s it?”

“It’s presents time,” Parker said, bouncing up onto the bed. “C’mon, let’s go.” She grabbed each of them by the hand and tugged.

“Presents time ain’t until 8:30 or later,” Hardison mumbled.

“I’m not getting back to sleep now,” Eliot said, getting out of bed. He grabbed a pair of sweats off the floor and pulled them on over his boxers. “And if you don’t get up, she’s not gonna stop bouncing on you.”

Hardison groaned again. “Fine. But if I better not see a single clock that says anything earlier than seven.”

“You won’t,” Parker promised. “I hid everything that tells time.”

It took Hardison a full minute to understand what she meant. When he realized, he stared at her with horror. “You hid my laptop?” he squeaked.

“And all our cell phones, and I reset the time on the microwave, oven, and the TV display,” Parker said.

“ _ I told you not to touch my oven _ .”

“I was only messing with the time display,” Parker said, rolling her eyes. It wasn’t like she had used it for experiments again. And okay so maybe melting rubber all over the bottom hadn’t exactly earned her Eliot’s trust, but that had been an honest mistake anyone could’ve made. Really.

Eliot closed his eyes, the way he did sometimes when Parker was really trying his patience. “Breakfast first,” he said after a moment, eyes opening. “Then presents.”

“But -”

“No buts, Parker. That’s what you get for messing with my kitchen.”

“And my laptop,” Hardison added; Parker and Eliot ignored him and made their way into the kitchen instead.

\---

Apparently, Eliot wasn’t content for a simple meal. No, he was bound and determined to take forever to make them the most delectable breakfast ever - including cinnamon rolls from scratch. Parker tried hard to be patient, but when Eliot announced the dough would take 30 minutes to rise, she nearly screamed.

“That’s not fair!”

“You’re the one who got us up at five in the fucking morning,” Eliot retorted.

Hardison lifted his head off the table, where he most certainly had  _ not _ been napping, thank you very much. “How d’you know what time it is?”

“How light the sky is, normal Portland sunrise in December, adjust for cloud cover...it’s not hard,” Eliot said.

“One little present, please?” Parker wheedled. “I’ll even let you open yours first.” It was honestly the most generous thing she could think of.

Eliot gave her an appraising look. “And Hardison second?”

Parker opened her mouth to protest. She would have to go last?! But Eliot might get all stubborn and refuse them any presents until the stupid cinnamon rolls were finished. “Fine,” she relented. “You first, Hardison second, and then me.”

“Deal.” Eliot wiped his flour-covered hands and came over to sit down next to Hardison. “You can pick them out.”

Parker bolted over to the tree and took her time evaluating the presents. She had promised Eliot they would be little, so she hunted for ones that had been placed among the tree branches. She found one for Eliot from Hardison, then grabbed one from herself to Hardison. At the base of the tree, she found a prettily wrapped cube that said to her from H&E. A present from both of them? That would be like two gifts in one. She snatched it up and brought all three over to the table.

“Here.” She thrust Eliot’s gift at him. “Hurry up.”

Eliot rolled his eyes. “Merry Christmas to you too, Parker.” Still, he obliged by ripping into the paper and revealing what was inside.

Eliot scrunched his nose. “A harmonica? Seriously, Hardison?”

Hardison raised an eyebrow. “You gonna tell me you don’t know how to play it?”

“Of course I do,” Eliot scoffed. “It’s just, did you have to go for such a cliche?”

Hardison looked uncharacteristically bashful. “I thought maybe we could duet in the brewpub one night. I know you won’t sing again, but maybe a little harmonica-and-violin action?”

Eliot softened. “Oh. Well. Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be...too bad. Thanks, man.” From Eliot, that was practically saying he loved the idea.

“Yeah, yeah, super cute boyfriends in love,” Parker said. “Hardison next.” She was nearly vibrating from excitement.

Hardison opened his gift a little slower, keeping the paper and ribbon in neat enough condition they could be used again. Old habits, Parker supposed, but right now it was nearly killing her. Finally, he got the little box unwrapped and opened it to reveal the R2D2 and C3PO cufflinks inside. Hardison grinned. “Thanks, Parker. I love them!”

“I know. I’m the best girlfriend ever, you love me, all that,” Parker said. “My turn.”

“Wait, hold on.” Eliot grabbed her wrist. “Should she get to open  _ this _ one? It’s the special one.”

Hardison looked at it, then at Parker, who was honestly considering biting Eliot if he didn’t let her open her present  _ right now _ . He’d said she got to choose, and she had chosen this one. Not her fault he hadn’t specified she could choose any of them except this one.

“Let her open it,” Hardison said. “There’s other awesome ones for later.”

Eliot released Parker and leaned back in his chair to watch her with an expression that was wonderfully soft - at least, to those who knew him best. To a stranger he probably still looked cold and menacing. But Parker and Hardison - they knew when he was truly happy. And right now, he was.

Parker ripped into the paper and revealed a styrofoam box with a slit running all around the middle. She made short work of the tape holding the two halves together and pulled the pieces apart to reveal….

“A snow globe?” Parker turned it over in her hands and squinted at it. Inside was a miniature Mount Hood and - “Is that...us?” She looked up at her boys, both of whom were openly smiling now.

“We know you missed the snow last year, and figured this year wouldn’t be any different,” Hardison explained. “So we made this.”

“What, like you ordered it?”

“No, remember when Hardison had to learn how to blow glass for that con last April?” Eliot said. “He made the globe.”

“And Eliot carved the mountain and the miniature us,” Hardison added.

The tiny figures really did look distinctively like the three of them. Parker gave it a little shake, almost afraid it would fall apart in her hands. A few bits of snow drifted up from the base. She shook it harder. Now there was a full-on blizzard inside.

“Now you’ll always have snow on Christmas,” Hardison said.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, hugging the globe to her chest. “I love it. I love you guys.”

They engulfed her in a tight hug, first Hardison, then Eliot hugging both of them together. “Love you, too, Mama,” Hardison said. Eliot placed a kiss on the top of her head. He didn’t say the words as often as Hardison did, but he didn’t need to. Parker sniffled, overwhelmed.

“I mean, it’s not a pile of hard cash,” she said, pulling back and settling down in her seat again. “But I like it.”

Hardison’s mouth dropped open, all fake indignance, while Eliot just laughed. He understood; they both did.

Eliot went back to cooking while Hardison messed around with the harmonica he’d given Eliot. They snarked and teased, and Parker joined in occasionally, but for the most part she was too wrapped up in her snow globe to pay them much mind. She couldn’t imagine a better present, couldn’t imagine being anywhere other than right here, with her boys, basking in the happiness and love they shared.


End file.
